Unexpected
by zephyrchild
Summary: Blake is overwhelmed in the woods of Mistral, only to be shocked that her rescuer is Yang Xiao Long. Unable to escape, she has to deal with everything she ran from. Yang delves into her past with her father, before striking out with him to Mistral in search of Ruby Rose, what she finds instead weakens her resolve to detach.
1. Chapter 1

It's too much, Blake realizes as she relies on her semblance again, her shadowy twin taking the next blow for her, again and again. She rushes her closest opponent, gambol shroud managing to land a few hits, before she's hit from behind again. She knows she's bleeding. Also, without backup. Who were these people? Blake ducks another blow, and manages to hit an opponent in the neck, but her aura is failing. Three was too many, these were no mere students. This was not a regulated match, losing would mean death.

This was not what she'd expected. Adam showing up to kill her, maybe. Swarm of Grimm? Sure. White Fang members, perhaps. Three strangers? Somehow she hadn't seen that coming. She hadn't been able to handle Sun, or team SSSN any longer. The constant ribbing and testosterone fuelled bullshit had finally gotten to be too much. Sun, as much as he liked her, didn't understand her at all. And he'd tried. They both had. At least a little.

She catches sight of a gold flash but it can't be, it can't. Here she is, injured and attacked by Grimm, and she wants to fantasize about Yang showing up to save her. Even after the last year.

The rest of the Grimm driven away, she'd rolled over to face her saviour, firing weapons, hitting opponents with swift punches and the occasional kick.

Yang.

Just as quickly, she receive a blunt blow to the back of the head, she falls unsure if she's hearing herself scream, or someone else. She hears the fight more than sees it after that, aware dimly that she's bleeding. She drifts in and out of consciousness until she's rolled to face up and examined, the sky still dark with rain and her former partner looking down at her.

"How?" She blinks up blearily, but an arm reaches for her and picks her up. Yang had always been strong, but this arm was hard metal under the fabric of her coat. Not a dream, Blake realized, just before she lost consciousness altogether.

* * *

It was dusk before she'd made it back to the campsite, her bag still tied up high in a tree and she'd been reluctant to set Blake down. She looks at her former partner now, sleeping on her own sleeping bag right next to the fire. She sat on the ground, watching her, unsure of what to do now. A small vengeful part suggests, leave her, but Yang cannot bring herself to make that more than a dark fantasy in her mind.

Yang felt silly, she'd even felt strange about pulling up Blake's garments to bandage and treat her wounds. She'd done the best she could, with her first aid skills Hopefully it would be enough.

She looks at the faunus, stirring slightly in her sleep, ears twitching. An unwelcome warmth surges up within her, she wasn't supposed to feel this anymore. Blake left. And she'd leave Blake, as soon as she was satisfied that she was not leaving her to die.

Yang cannot deny part of her is still furious. And yet, she hadn't really changed. When it came to Blake Belladonna's life, she would save it again without hesitation. She wasn't sure what to do with the faunus now, though she supposes she can let Blake recover for a couple days, drag her to the nearest village and then part ways, as quickly as possible.

She's on a hunt for her Uncle Qrow, and then, her mother. She doesn't have time for Blake. And why should she? Blake obviously didn't care enough to stay. Probably thought she was useless as a partner since she'd lost her arm.

"You can't be real." A small voice murmurs up from the fabric.

Yang laughs mirthlessly, "I'm real." She exposes her metal arm, and flexes the fingers.

Blake looks up at her, and then props herself up to get a look at the bandages. "How? Why?"

She's unsure how to answer, she hadn't meant to come across Blake. She'd heard the sounds of a fight and had rushed over to help. Since Haven fell, Mistral had been even more of a mess than Vale.

"Don't move so much, you'll start bleeding again." Yang states plainly, trying to seem disinterested. After all, shouldn't she be? After all this time.

"You're in Mistral." Blake blinks up at her disorientedly. Perhaps that hit to the head the faunus had taken was harder than she thought.

Yang explains quickly, no point giving Blake details when she'll just run away again. "Yeah, my dad and I went after Ruby. We didn't find her, yet." I found you, instead, Yang finishes to herself quietly.

"Your dad is here?" Blake shifts again, so she presses a gentle hand on her, pinning the girl to the sleeping bag. No sense letting her injure herself more, Yang tells herself as an excuse.

"No…" Yang shakes her head. "He's in Haven, trying to help. and trying to figure out where Ruby went. But everyone has seen the Beacon tournament. I couldn't take it, so I left. Either way, you're going to stay put. You're in no shape to fight." As much as she tries to keep all tenderness from her voice, some seems to bleed through. Perhaps it is that Blake looks helpless. Maybe it's because it has been so long since she'd seen her.

"Why…why did you save me?" Blake shifts on the sleeping bag. "You lost your arm because of me."

"Yeah. I did." Yang nods, her feelings for Blake had caused her to rush in, and leap ferociously at Adam. Losing her arm in the process for a partner who didn't care enough to stay until she'd regained consciousness. But Blake herself hadn't done anything to cause it, it was that man. Adam. The White Fang leader. Blake was only guilty of abandonment, as if that were a small thing. And perhaps, for her it was. Her mother left. Her mom, _Summer_ , died. Ruby left. Blake left.

"Yang…" Blake repeats her name, before she lays back down to rest again.

 _8 months earlier_

"No, don't stop Yang, you're doing well! Hit me again." Her father encourages her, and before he can make another crack at her she lands a punch with her real fist. Followed by a sharper one with the prosthetic, she's sure it hurts, even with aura blocking the force of her blows.

"Stop talking!" Yang grits out between her teeth, she uses the prosthetic the next time, hearing the hydraulics shift, the slight noise that will never cease to remind her that this is not her arm. This is a tool, but for doing this, it's enough.

"What? Am I harder to punch than your teammates?"

Teammates, Yang falters at the word, and Tai lands his own punch to her shoulder, the stump. She falls backwards, onto her ass, breathing heavily.

"I'm done for the day." Yang says, after calming slightly. She considers removing the prosthesis, putting it away like she does to sleep. Instead she leaves it on, twitching the fingers and trying to get used to the sound of the hydraulics responding to her nerves through the metal adapter that had been installed on her...stump.

"Alright." Tai nods, grabbing two bottles of water. Tossing one at her, he smiles when she catches it, measuring the force and uncapping it to take a long swig.

For a few minutes it's silent. Like they never talk of anything of consequence. But maybe, if she's careful she can wheedle a little information out of her father.

"Dad… what was it like with your team? Your partner?" Yang pries. This has always been a topic her father has never wanted to discuss. She's not even sure who her father's partner was at Beacon. Uncle Qrow? Mom? Her…mother?

"Partners." Taiyang repeats thoughtfully, looking at his daughter, both seated and breathing heavily from sparring. "So, this isn't about the prosthetic arm?"

"No… what was it like with your team? Team STRQ?" Yang leans back on the couch, trying to seem casual.

"Well… Raven was my partner at Beacon. And Summer Rose was your Uncle Qrow's." Tai answers her simply, almost cautiously. He doesn't want to talk about either of them, Yang knows too well. They never talk about anything serious.

"But… how was it?" Yang pries gently.

"What is there to say?" Tai shakes his head. "We were partnered at Beacon, I fell in love with her, we finished school, and had you."

"And… Mom?" She's sure that the intonation of her voice tells her dad that they are discussing the woman that raised her.

"Summer? We were great friends then. Teams get close. Yang, I'm sorry that your time with yours was cut so short." Tai shrugs as if this closes the discussion, purposely sucking water from his water bottle with vigour. Before pouring some on himself, and Yang, to rinse off some of the sweat.

She'd usually laugh, or swat him. But she wasn't giving up that easy this time. It was far past time to get some answers.

"Qrow and Summer were close too?" Yang questions again, unsure of whether or not to push further. To tell her father that the loss of Blake was more than she could take. Not that she really wants the mental picture of her mom doing anything romantic with Uncle Qrow. Surely, not everyone was as stupid as the Xiao Longs.

"Yes, but honestly they bickered, they were like siblings to each other. Qrow always said it's practically incestuous to date within your team. But it happens." Tai smiles, laughing, his eyes glazing over as he remembers his youth. "Raven was… beautiful, and talented but she was also…difficult."

Yang shifts, wondering how much she could prod, how much about her mother could she learn? "I mean… if Raven was so…difficult why have me with her at all?"

"Well," Tai shifts regarding Yang seriously. "We were young, in our final term at Beacon and on a mission. And it was cold…" He trails off, grimacing.

"Are you telling me I only exist because you and Raven got cold?" Yang regards her father incredulously, and yet, it all makes a weird sort of sense. That she'd been an accident, that Ruby had been the purposeful child with Summer Rose.

"For weeks," Tai continues, "and eventually we got…careless." He shrugs. "But I loved Raven and I am so happy to have you."

"Wow." Yang nods unsure of what else to say, or how to make a pun out of it. Somehow ' _Yangcident_ ' doesn't seem like the thing she really wants to say.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about that. All-girl team." Tai laughs, "so… should I get us a snack? I think we've both worked up an appetite. And I remember how much you can eat!"

For a moment, she considers going with it. Letting her dad pretend she's okay. That everything is still okay. But it's not.

"Dad… it's not just the arm."

"You lost a lot." Tai acknowledges, "Your school, your team, your partner, your arm." He nods, "But you're not letting it stop you, that's the important thing. I can train you as well as anyone can."

"I…. I'm in love with Blake. I'm…like you, Dad. I fell for my partner at Beacon." Yang admits finally, her eyes tear up slightly. "And she…she just left me."

"Oh…" Tai looks blankly at his daughter for a moment. And for a split second, Yang fears his reaction. It's less common after all, falling in love with another girl. But there were a few same sex couples around, even if it is rare.

"Well, that explains a lot actually." Tai finishes, looking at Yang with a renewed sense of understanding.

"I just…. I don't think she loved me back. I wasn't sure she even could. I thought…maybe, we kept getting closer and closer and… I thought we had four years! But I never thought she'd just leave me." Yang cries, finally letting go of the burden, of keeping this to herself.

"Oh…" Taiyang repeats, less shocked by the minute. "Well, good. You won't get pregnant. That's a plus." Her dad seems ultimately cheered by at least that much, until her expression makes him falter again.

"I guess we have more in common than we thought." Tai says finally, speaking in a low serious voice.

"I guess." Yang repeats, uncertainly.

"Not just ribbing and puns." Taiyang stretches, "so is this the part where we talk about girls?"

"I don't know." Yang shrugs, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Maybe we just… keep talking?"


	2. Chapter 2

Anywhere but here, Blake thinks when she wakes up again. It's barely light out, and Yang is sitting next to her, using a stick to poke at the embers of the fire.

"You're real." Blake pushes herself up gingerly, careful of her injuries. Nothing feels too bad. A few cuts and some bruised ribs.

"Take it easy. You've been asleep longer than you think." Yang says simply.

"I have to go." But no sooner than has she tried to push herself up, that her own body denies her. She lets out a small cry, her ears flick and she feels exposed, though certainly her ears are no surprise to Yang.

Her attackers weren't White Fang, that is the one consolation. It's a possibility, especially with the CCT down, that Adam does not know where she is. Though, no doubt someone in Menagerie had told him when she was there. He has no way of knowing she's in Mistral. At least he shouldn't.

"You'll stay until you've healed enough. At least three days. Then you're on your own." Yang tells her calmly. "Or, to the next village. I'll get you there once you can walk and then … that's it."

"I get it." Blake agrees, even as Yang is sharing her provisions with her, pushing food into her hands, holding her own canteen to her lips to allow her to drink. She doesn't deserve this kind of care. Not after everything she's done. Her eyes linger on the metal exposed by Yang's sleeve, even as the same metal arm tips the canteen back to her lips, Yang's remaining arm holding her up so that she can drink. Her ears twitch at the sound of the hydraulics, as the wrist and fingers move on the prosthetic.

"You need to be more careful. Bandits and thieves will attack anyone for their provisions. I was too busy fending off the Grimm to save your bag, I assume that is what they carried off… But I saved Gambol Shroud." Yang comments as nonchalantly as possible. "Mistral is more dangerous than it used to be. Especially for you, with all the White Fang activity that's going on."

"I was being careful." Blake protests, stopping her silent drinking. "I know how to travel on my own." At least Gambol Shroud was still with her, other supplies could be purchased again in a village or town.

"Drink." Yang tells her simply, as plainly as possible. She pushes the well-used canteen at her again, with a decent amount of water still inside. She drinks obediently not sure what else to say. How do you apologize to a friend for everything she'd done? She'd gotten Yang injured, put her into the line of fire from a sociopathic creep ex-boyfriend. For what? Being someone she cared about?

This wasn't Yang, not the Yang she knew. All the warmth seemed to have left her, at least as far as Blake was concerned. Does she still blame her? How raw is that wound now? Blake know she's had time to think this all through, to spend time with her family, to process the mess that was her relationship with Adam. Yang, surely it had been enough time that the anger should have faded somewhat. But losing an arm...

Blake sighs. "You should have let them kill me." She didn't need to be more indebted to Yang, didn't want to bind herself even closer to Yang. There was already enough between them as it was.

"No." Yang shakes her head, lowering her back down onto the sleeping bag. Where had Yang been sleeping? The ground? She hadn't been carrying much in the way of supplies with her.

"Why? Why would you save me again, after last time? We haven't seen each other in over a year, and you just... " Blake shakes her head, ears twitching, completely unsure of what to say. She'd hoped to run into Yang again one day, and beg for forgiveness with everything that had happened with Adam. But she'd also assumed Yang wouldn't rush in to save her again.

"Why did I save you? Because…" Yang shakes her head, golden hair moving vigorously. "I don't know… I just… I couldn't let you die. We're supposed to be huntresses, right? Just…doing my job."

"We never finished. We never will." Blake murmurs up, only to squeak in pain. "We're not real huntresses, and we're never going to be." She'd been right about that much, their enemies didn't wait for them to graduate to strike.

Yang scoffs, "speak for yourself. I will be a huntress. Prosthetic arm and all."

"I…" Blake stumbles over words. "I never wanted that to happen. I … I should have known he'd come after me."

"Who? Adam Taurus? Leader of the White Fang?" Yang throws back at her.

It's difficult to hide her shock, even as sore and bruised as she is. "How do you know that name?"

"It was all over the Vale news with his picture. Wasn't exactly hard to figure out."

"It's not safe… Adam told me he would go after you, after everyone I care about to get back at me for leaving him…. Leaving the White Fang. " Blake corrects herself, but too late. Yang must have figured it out now. Her former partner was loud and boisterous, but Yang had never been stupid.

"You left me! We were supposed to have four years!" Yang exclaims at last, far too much emotion leaking into her voice.

"Yang, I couldn't stay… Adam was going to kill you. Until I saw your arm cut off, I thought he had!" Blake tries to explain. Though maybe it's no use, maybe Yang would never again believe that she cared for her.

"You left me." Yang reiterates. "Alone. Like this." Yang removes the prosthetic, setting it down on the ground next to the fire. Her arm ends in a stump just above her elbow, wrapped in bandages, and a smooth base… a connector that Blake assumes is to channel nerve signals to the cybernetics of the artificial arm. It is a good prosthetic, Blake acknowledges, but it is no substitute for Yang's own body.

"I know."

"You just ran, and then you've been with Sun all this time? Running around Menagerie? A vacation for the faunus couple?" Yang tries to force back the tears pricking at her eyes.

"No… Of course not! But, Sun followed me. I had no idea he was there until we were already on the boat." Blake grimaces briefly. "He's been with his team, for a couple months again now. After everything that has happened, they need to be together."

"Okay, that's really creepy actually." Yang makes a disgusted face, "he like, stalked you?"

"I know." She shakes her head, "I don't think he saw it that way though."

Yang looks at her directly. "What about our team? What about me?" Yang's voice wavers, emotion and a shred of doubt all too easy to read.

Blake tries to brush it off. "We were broken anyway, you and Ruby were unconscious… Beacon was gone. Everything was gone."

"Well I wasn't! You know what I thought when I woke up without an arm?" Yang shakes her head, starting to look angry. Her eyes remain purple, there is no angry flash of red that she remembers from battle, or even once briefly, directed at her. "The first thing I asked when I came to? Where's Blake? I thought you were dead! And no, you just left. You ran away… Why? Because I failed? Because…" Yang's composure broken, Blake can see tears forming in the purple eyes she remembers so well.

"I…" Blake fails to produce any meaningful sound, instead she reaches for Yang's remaining hand, only to have it quickly pulled out of her grasp.

"I saved you. You apparently grabbed me and pulled me away from the fight with Adam, so now we're even." Yang says decisively, a coldness coming over her once again.

"I don't think we'll ever be even." Blake mutters. There is no way to make up for what happened to Yang. No way to fix the betrayal she's sure her former partner still feels.

"...Is that an arm pun?" Yang asks very softly after a pause.

"No… Not at all." She wouldn't do that. Not ever.

"Shame. It'd lighten the mood. All this being left shit."

"I'm sorry." Blake apologized again, "it wasn't about you, Yang. And you had your family, you were safe."

"You know, I remember it." Yang looks at Blake bluntly.

"What?" Her first thought is the last time she'd seen her friend, holding her remaining hand and crying out her apology, as if Yang could actually hear her. As if anything could fix what had happened.

"The day Uncle Qrow brought my mom, brought Summer back, she was wrapped in a sheet and it was so bloody. And Ruby was three years old, and all she'd say was that it was so red. And then I led her away because neither of us were supposed to see. I was five, Blake. Five. The last conversation I'd had with my mom was making sure she would be back for my birthday, which was still three months away."

"Yang…. I am so sorry." Blake apologizes. "But, it's not safe to be around me."

"Safe?!" Yang scoffs, "It's not safe anywhere, Blake. Beacon fell. Haven fell… My little sister has run off to chase…something. And my dad is still in Haven, trying to figure out where Ruby went. So let Adam come after us… we have a better chance together."

"I won't let you get hurt again!" Blake insists quietly, "not because of me. I am not safe… I wasn't when I left, and I am not now."

Yang sighs. "It's not safe to be alone out here. I left my dad at a village, it's a three days' journey. At least come with me that far."

Blake blinks, surprised. "You want me around?"

"I haven't decided yet." Yang lets out a slow breath. She hadn't gotten this far in all the conversations she'd had with Blake in her head. "But I am not letting either one of us get killed out here, and the best chance we have of survival is sticking together. Besides, I'll be damned if anyone gets to kill you before I do."

"Okay." Blake agrees finally. "Just until we meet up with your dad." Yang is joking about killing her, that much is certain.

But, Blake realizes, even as she reclines to watch the fire, that is about the only thing that is.

* * *

"Come on," Yang helps Blake to her feet, "we have to see if we can move today. Longer we stay here more risk we have of running into bandits, or criminals, or anti-faunus crazies." She could think of a dozen scenarios where they get attacked, not all featuring Grimm. The best thing to do, is to keep moving, get to a village so Blake can convalesce properly, and she can get the heck out while she still wants to.

Over the last three days, Blake seemed to recover somewhat. Her movements are hesitant at first, and she seems to favour one side as she walks little steps around the campfire.

They need to go, the longer she stays here with Blake, the longer she permits herself to engage in care-taking, the worse it will be for her later. For some reason, when Blake is sleeping, she forgets. She only sees her partner, and cannot stop herself from feeling the same way she did at Beacon. The mornings she'd wake before Blake and peer down under her bed to see the faunus sleeping soundly, often with a book awkwardly positioned near her head. At first, Blake had just been her partner, but they'd grown closer. Could she even be Blake's friend again? Was it worth it? Did she even want to?

"I'm unsteady…" Blake warns.

"I'll help you." Yang assures in response. "Let's break camp, there is a small village two days from here. One if we can walk through the night."

"My eyes are as good as ever." Blake offers. "Faunus."

"Right, I remember that…" Yang seems remember a class of Ooblecks's where faunus and night vision was discussed. Blake's vision is probably near perfect in the dark, unlike the mere shadows she can make out.

With one arm around Blake's waist, and her gear on her back, they make their slow way through the forest. If there are Grimm, it'll be her job to drop everything and fend them off. She's not even paying attention to Blake really, her breathing and warmth just becomes part of the background.

"Yang…"

She answers automatically. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

She's not sure how to respond to that, not at first.

They walk through the day, only breaking to eat and drink, or to refill her canteen at spigots along the path. Neither of them is sure what to say, and with the excuse of keeping an eye out for Grimm they're almost silent. She disposes of two beowolves, but it barely slows them down. In an odd way, it resembles her image of what they'd do after Beacon. Yang knows too well her plan was to stay with Blake, be huntresses together and have adventures. Surely, plenty of people stay with their teammates and continue working together… but Blake was not just her teammate. At first, maybe.

"Hmmm." Blake hums into the darkening woods, the sun nearly down and the air chilling. They weren't going to walk through the night.

She doesn't want to stop walking, but when she looks at Blake she knows they have to rest.

"Okay, let's make camp." Yang says decisively, dropping her bag and starting in on making a fire just off the path.

"Are you sure you want to stop walking?" Blake asks, even as she settles down onto herself, hugging her knees to her chest.

"You can't walk anymore, so it'll take an extra day. We'll get rest and start again tomorrow." Yang explains. "I think I have enough food, yeah I can make us a little something. We'll have to share a bowl though."

They had shared so much, a dorm, a team, a purpose. And now, what were they to each other? And could she prevent her feelings for Blake from rising from the dead? A warmth against her side reminds hers, they both may have changed, she may never know why Blake left… but her feelings are the same.

"It's cold," Blake offers as she slides her own body closer to Yang's even by the fire.

"It is…" Yang acknowledges. "Blake, was it… was it just Adam why you left?"

"Of course it was!" Blake looks at her concerned as she empties the package of dried whatever it is into a small amount of water, before nudging it towards the campfire.

"It wasn't… me?" Yang asks in a small voice. "I… I know I screwed up trying to save you. But when I heard you get stabbed, I couldn't think straight. It's… probably why I lost my arm."

"No, Yang… I'm just happy he didn't cut you in half!" Blake's voice grows louder. "I never wanted him to hurt you… I wanted you to run."

She has a suspicion, and for whatever reason, she just cannot keep her mouth shut. "Did he hurt you, I mean… before…"

"Yes."

"Were you… lovers?" Yang asks, already knowing the answer. It all fit together, it finally made sense. That Blake, her Blake had this history, that even at Beacon she'd been running, from him. How old was Adam anyway? He looked like he was older, years older than either of them.

Blake looks at her, and nods letting out a low stream of breath. "Yes, we were...involved. But… it wasn't ever healthy. He was…"

"I get it." Yang nods, "I'm not sure I can forgive you for running." Abusive ex-boyfriend or not, Blake had ditched her. Probably not even realizing she now had nightmares about Adam herself.

"I know." Blake acknowledges. "I … I went home to Menagerie, to see my family."

"You have a family?" Yang cannot contain her surprise. How can they have spent a year together and still not know these things. Parents? Siblings?

"Yes. Parents." Blake responds.

"You know, there were at least a dozen times you could have told me that." Yang suggests, hurt in her voice. "I mean… I told you how my mother left me after I was born, and that I didn't find out Summer wasn't my biological mother until I was five…:

"Yang?" Blake interrupts, trying to shut down the conversation. "It's complicated."

"How complicated can it be that you didn't tell me?" How much had she even known about Blake? She'd thought they had been close, growing closer as time went on.

"Let's just...get some rest." Blake shuts down the conversation. Whether it is annoyance, or true fatigue, she cannot tell.

Yang settles herself down, after silently sharing a silent meal of porridge with Blake. Leaving her prosthetic on, she lays down on the ground close to her sleeping bag but remains uncovered.

Somehow she drifts off, into a fitful sleep, waking every few hours the the view of the dark forest, of fireflies and of gently twitching cat ears directly in her line of sight.

Yang wakes to the sound of Gambol Shroud firing into the darkness, and the low growl of a Grimm. She hadn't bothered to remove the robotic arm, instead grabs for Ember Celica and goes to intercept, no need to make Blake fight more than necessary.

She fires, punching enthusiastically, using the Grimm to get out her tension, her frustration at her current situation. She can barely see them apart from their red eyes.

"Yang! Behind you!" Blake shouts out in concern.

She flips instantly, meeting an ursa head on, but can hear Blake firing at it from the other side as she punches and fires at it until it dies. Perhaps her younger self had been right. Even without having everything she wanted from her relationship with Blake, traveling with her was useful. Especially at night.

Eventually, all is calm. Grimm smoldering in defeat on the ground. Her own heavy breathing and Blake's the only sounds left.

"Your eyes are staying purple." Blake comments, as she plops herself down next to her. "I mean, during the fight."

"Unless I am in semblance mode or extremely pissed, they stay that way." Yang shrugs it off, getting as close as she dares to her own sleeping bag.

"Why aren't you using your semblance?"

Yang sighs, "it has been suggested to me that I need to be more … selective about purposefully activating my semblance. Or… I might lose more limbs." The fact that during this conversation, she was sparring with Tai, who was both winning and calling her ' _lady-killer_ ' is left out.

"I'm not going to let that happen." Blake assures her.

And for a few beautiful minutes, Yang believes her.


	3. Chapter 3

It's midday before they reach the village, Blake walks mostly on her own, preferring not to lean on Yang unless she absolutely has to. The summer is over, the chill in the air tells her that much. She's not even sure where to go after this. After Yang leaves.

"I'll book us both in at the inn." Yang volunteers, "they have hot baths too… I'm sure you want one." It's not a hard building to find, they wander in. The dark wood of the building seems comforting against the matching front desk. Stairs lead upstairs, to where most of the rooms are. But past the desk, the back seems to be some sort of tavern, and despite the afternoon sun, a growing number of patrons sit drinking ale and shouting into what Blake can only assume is the kitchen.

She hadn't even thought about the sweat, the grime. The dried blood catches her attention. She can see it on her own hands. A bath would do her good. In the sunlight, she sees that Yang's hands are dirty as well. But the marvellous golden mane looks as good as ever.

People stare at them, her cat ears, Yang's not-entirely-concealed prosthetic, their weapons. They're both sweaty and likely coated in blood and dirt. But no one says a thing, maybe they do look like huntresses. She wonders for a moment if they'll be turned away, it wouldn't be the first time.

The innkeeper crosses his arms, looking them both over. "Yang Xiao Long, right? You came back pretty quickly."

"Yeah I did. One room, two beds, and we'll both need a hot bath and a meal." Yang stops as if to consider the rest. "We'll be here at least a few days, my friend and I."

The innkeeper nods, taking Yang's money, "I'll put you in room 8 this time, right across from where your dad was."

"He's not here anymore?" Yang's voice is briefly concerned as she takes the key.

"I thought he'd gone out looking for you, or that missing sister of yours. He said he'd be back in a few days." The man shrugs, "dinner is stew, you'll find a wooden tub in your room."  
She nods and leads upstairs, Blake follows even as she watches the innkeeper look directly at her, as if appraising her.

No sooner than have they entered the room, has Yang dropped her pack to the floor, she puts Ember Celica on the nightstand and immediately goes to the far wall to begin filling the tub. It's acceptable, two twin beds, a tub, a small table. It will do for a few days.

"A bath? Already?" Blake questions her. If Yang's just bathing, she might as well ask to borrow a small amount of money, to buy another sleeping bag and a canteen, whatever provisions she'll need once Yang is gone.

Yang laughs low in her throat. "It's for you."

"Me?"

"I'm sure you want to wash the dried blood off," the blonde shakes her head. "You bathe first, I'll bring us up some stew and then… well, then we'll both get some rest."

She's in the middle of undressing, slipping out of her boots and then pants when she hears the door shut. And at last she's alone. Stepping into the water, she lets herself sink down submerging her entire body in warmth. When was the last time she'd felt warm? Not since before she'd left Menagerie.

She bathes, using the sponge next to the tub to scrub the dried blood off her body. She eases off the bandages where she dares, noting the care that they'd been applied with. Yang had treated her much better than she deserved.

She towels off and looks at her garments, they should probably be washed as well. For a moment, she contemplates her next move before Yang barges back in with a tray balanced on her remaining hand and what looks like a long flannel night shirt thrown over her shoulder.

"Thought you might want this. Still warm from the laundry." Yang tosses it at her, setting their lunch down in the centre of the floor. "Grabbed one for me too actually, because… we should probably wash all our gear." There's a second, likely also heated nightshirt still on Yang's shoulder.

Blake accepts it, throwing it over her head and allowing the white fabric to fall down to her now reasonably clean knees.

"Okay, food first." Yang decides, sitting cross-legged on the floor and picking up her spoon, eagerly spooning sustenance into her mouth. Yang stops only to shrug her jacket off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

Yang's barely even bruised from their time in the forest. In fact, other than the arm, she looks…

"What?" Yang stops for a moment, setting her soup back down on the tray.

She reaches closer, leaving her own lunch untouched and reaching out for Yang, her former partner winces slightly when her hands first make contact with Yang's bare shoulders.

Unflinchingly, she takes her in, the skin, where it disappears into her prosthesis, the new garments. "You look good." Blake decides finally. The new outfit most certainly suits Yang. Even the prosthetic, though she hates that Yang needs it, seems to suit her somehow,

Yang scoffs, "I am a one-armed huntress-in-training who has been out in the woods for weeks."

Blake releases her to pick up her own stew, "I think you look great."

"I'm sweaty and gross… but I don't really want you to have to watch me bathe with this thing." Yang wiggles her stump, still securely attached into the robotic arm. "It's pretty gross."

"I'm not watching anything," Blake claims. "I'll just be here eating stew." It's not bad, Blake thinks to herself, taking another spoon and another. Perhaps she was hungrier than she thought.

Yang stands up wordlessly as soon as her food is done, and removes the prosthetic, leaving it on one of the beds. For a moment, she's unsure if she should offer to help, but Yang undresses and clambers into the bath herself without incident. Other than emptying out some water to add fresh warm water, even as she scrubs herself with the same sponge.

"Yang?" She doesn't turn around, but she can hear the slight splashing and scrubbing of the bathing process.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry."

"I hadn't seen my parents in nearly 4 years."

"That long, huh?" Yang answers cautiously, she hears more than sees her climb out of the bath and begin to towel off. "Can you throw me the other nightgown."

Blake tosses it behind her head without looking, she'd done this much for Yang before. They'd shared a room after all, the four of them, team RWBY for a year.

"I ran off with Adam, and the White Fang when I was about 14. I mean, I went with Adam to Vale, to be part of the White Fang there.." Blake summarizes quickly. "They… seeing them again was hard."

"Were they mad?" Yang reappears in her line of vision, towelling off the damp ends of her hair. With the long flannel white nightgown covering her, Blake can almost forget the way one sleeve hangs long and open. It hits her with a stab of guilt instantly. This is her fault, she will never be able to repay Yang for that.

"No," Blake shakes her head with a small smile, "I thought they would be. It had been so long, and they barely knew what I was up to. My mom just hugged me, my dad was happy to see me too."

"Well, that's good, right?" Yang sits down, grabbing her prosthetic arm, and quickly clicking it back into place.

"Yeah. It was." Blake nods.

"Why'd you leave?"

"Same reason I ran away to Menagerie in the first place. Adam. The White Fang. Menagerie is supposed to be a safe place for any faunus, I guess any faunus except me." Blake begins to clear the dishes, putting them back on the tray, but Yang stops her. It's not the whole story, but it's true, and judging by Yang's reaction, it's enough.

"Just, get some rest." Yang advises, picking up the tray to carry it back downstairs. "I'm sure you're as exhausted. I'm exhausted."

Yang isn't wrong, so she lies down, she tries to sleep. Instead she hears Yang come back, and the pull of the heavy curtains over the room's window, before the slight clunk of a robotic arm being put on the bedside table between them. The rustling of sheets and the small sound Yang makes upon her face hitting the pillow is also unmistakable.

But she doesn't want to look. And yet she rolls over, opening her eyes and forcing herself to look at Yang like this. She needs to see this, she needs to remember.

It's not terrible, Blake decides, watching Yang reposition herself in bed, eyes closed as she falls asleep. And she knows the change in breathing that indicates sleep, she'd heard it above her own bunk for the better part of a year.

But as she observes her former partner, that same pain returns. There is still affection for Yang, how could there not be? But the arm, the way the sheets hang down over the stump, she cannot even pretend that Yang is the same. That she is not responsible for this loss. Yang shifts, the stump brought into full view. Yang seems peaceful in sleep, at least. Far too peaceful for what the blonde has endured.

Tears sting at her eyes, and she cries, silently at first, trying to muffle her sobs. She thinks she should get up, move further away from Yang, stop sitting up in bed.

She's crying desperately before she knows it, turning to face her own pillow, unable to stop her shoulders from shaking or her uneven breath.

"Blake?" A sleepy voice calls for a moment, and the bed besides her creaks loudly as she hears Yang pad over on her feet. "Why are you crying? What is it?"


	4. Chapter 4

Yang isn't even thinking as she sits down next to Blake, reaching out her remaining arm to touch the heaving back of her friend. It's automatic, how quickly she moves to hold Blake. Somehow, in her sleepiness she forgets why she was avoiding contact.

"Blake?" Yang repeats her name, but Blake only sobs harder. Pulling her into a hug is automatic, she doesn't think about it. Maybe it's that she's not fully awake yet, but she embraces Blake without reservation.

For a moment, Blake goes quiet, letting out a low breath and wrapping her own arms around Yang. And she doesn't mean to, she meant to keep her stump still, and yet it's trying to wrap itself around Blake with her remaining arm. In all likelihood, ruining this hug. Yang's brain slowly catches up with the rest of her, she loosens her grip.

But Blake says nothing, just tears up slightly and holds her more tightly. The stump still tucked under the faunus' own arm.

"I'm sorry about… the stump hug." Yang apologizes quietly, but Blake only cries harder in response. Maybe she should have said nothing, after all, it is Blake that owes her the apology. But maybe no apology would ever do.

"No… no that's not it." Blake shakes her head, dark hair swishing with the movement. Yang blinks, but she's no faunus, she can't make out anything but shadows.

"What is it then?" Yang tries to keep her voice soft, and soothing. She should let go, she should get back to her own bed and leave Blake to this alone. Blake doesn't deserve her comfort, and not her love… not after what she did.

"I'm sorry." Blake sobs out again, "I am so so sorry." Her former partner nestles into her arms, burying her face in her neck, clinging back with two strong arms. Whatever she had been expecting, this wasn't it. And maybe it's just that she's tired, or maybe she's wanted this for too long. Wanted any attention from Blake for too long. But Yang lets her cuddle in, what can the harm be? It's not like she hasn't already broken her heart.

"My parents just forgave me… you're… you're just… forgiving me, aren't you?" Blake cries softly next to her.

"I'm not sure… I…" She strokes Blake's hair, careful of the ears, and her own want to touch them. Yang denies herself, even as she watches the delicate cat ears twitch. She wants to convince herself that this is no different than comforting Ruby after a nightmare back when they were kids. An unwelcome warmth from holding Blake becomes undeniable, but surely Blake can't tell. Yang reasons to herself. She's not doing anything wrong. She's different. Blake is different. It's been so long since she allowed her mind to wander down that path, to probe that possibility.

"I never wanted you to get hurt. I never wanted to hurt you…" Blake manages to splutter out between tears. "I didn't think Adam would go for you… I wish you'd never come looking for me."

"I can't say it's okay," Yang finally breathes out quietly into the dark. She cannot wish the same things, if she hadn't, she might still have an arm, but Blake would also be dead. That would be an unacceptable scenario, after all that Yang wouldn't have known that Blake would run. Her depression would have set in the same.

"I know… but you lost your arm because of me. Trying to save me, and I just ran. And… I am so sorry." Blake wipes her face on her nightgown. And for a brief moment Yang wonders if wiping snot and tears on her is just a part of the apology. If it were Ruby, if it were anyone else, she'd tease them mercilessly. But, it's not anyone else… it's _Blake_. Suddenly warm and affectionate in her distress. What had happened when they were apart?

Yang says nothing. This is what she wanted. At least, she has to admit that a part of her did. As much as she had told herself that she didn't want Blake anymore, that she was over it, that time had done whatever it was supposed to do. She lets out a slow breath, "I know."

"How can you still be like this?" Blake asks softly. "After… why?"

Yang laughs humourlessly. "You really don't know?" Maybe she had been less obvious than she thought, maybe her goal to not be _completely_ obvious about her feelings for her former partner had worked. She thought back to the flirting, asking Blake to dance, … everything. Was it possible that Blake Belladonna, reader of smutty books, had no idea?

"Know what?" Blake shifts in her arms, leaning back to get a look at her, but not completely letting go.

Yang freezes, her good arm releases Blake. She blanks on words, she's fairly certain Blake doesn't return her feelings. There was a time when she thought it possible, that Blake might like girls too. Might like her...more. When her eyes meet Blake's amber ones again, it's too obvious. She's still head over heels for her and Yang is unable to stop the panic she feels at the thought. They're too close, she squirms to gain more distance, scooting back on the bed.

"Yang?" Blake prompts again, tears slowing down as her breathing regulates again. A soft hand tapping her cheek gently before moving to grip her shoulder. "What is it?"

"I… I thought…" Yang shakes her head, "I mean, we were close, right? And I thought that maybe-" Her words are all wrong, all wrong. She cannot tell Blake she loves her. Loved her? She's unsure which for a moment, everything running together as her mind spins and her heart speeds up nervously. Growing up in a home where nobody ever talked about their feelings was not doing her any favours now. She wants Blake to hold her, wants to just stay here in the dark and be quiet. Why ruin this? Blake will probably just bail anyway. Hell, her love could drive Blake away. Send her running back to…. somewhere.

"Shhh." She's gently shushed by Blake, who seems to soften. No sooner than has Blake reached for her, is she tugging her back in against her, arms pulling Yang down to rest beside Blake on the narrow mattress. She'd forgotten how strong Blake was, her body yields, but retains same tension.

"And… you'll just like leave me again…You'll run. So why…" Yang tries to justify her lack of response, trying desperately to keep her eyes from welling up with unshed tears. She blinks back the sting of them.

Blake soothes her, "I am not going to leave you again. I won't. I'm not running." She's never heard her this calm, perhaps the time with her parents had been good for her. Perhaps...

"I mean… you remember the dance, right?" Yang tries finally. It's not right, but at least maybe, it'd get the point across without scaring the shit out of Blake.

The voice that responds is uncertain, confused. "Yeah?"

"I… if…" Yang falters again, this was all wrong too. And the last thing she wants to do is talk about Sun. How if he hadn't asked Blake, she would have asked her herself. She'd only danced with Blake anyway, not that anyone had noticed. No one had thought anything of it. No one, except herself.

"Why are we talking about the dance?" Blake asks, annoyance clearly ringing in her voice.

"Because… Because I love you." Yang blurts out finally. She cringes, before peering intently at Blake's face in the dark. She sees shock, or perhaps surprise playing out on the face of her old partner.

"Oh." Blake only manages one syllable before they both fall into a lengthy silence. This is it, where she quickly pushes Blake away and goes to sleep. She can pass this off as….something else in the morning. But her legs aren't moving.

She's not expecting it, not when Blake's hands grip either side of her face, not when soft lips press delicately against her own, if only for a mere moment, before retreating.

"Oh." Yang repeats, dumbfounded.


	5. Chapter 5

It's dark, but Blake can see perfectly. She can see the shocked expression on Yang's face. The slight flush of her cheeks. She watches the blonde's eyes dart nervously for a moment.

Of course, Blake isn't even sure what she's doing. Or even why she kissed her really. It was just easier than trying to talk about her feelings. Blake sighs, she adores Yang. She'd chosen her after all, that day in the Emerald Forest. Let Yang be the first person she'd made eye contact with. And since then… she'd only grown more attached. Yang's silliness. Her antics. Her strength. Her kindness. How much she cared. There was so much good there. She'd bonded to her team so deeply, loved them so much, and Yang… Yang most of all. But in love? Had she ever been in love?

She'd stayed so long with Adam, with the White Fang, mostly because she felt like she'd burned her bridges. She'd yelled at her parents, insulted them and finally ran away. Maybe she'd convinced herself she loved him, maybe in all his manipulation, all her childish desire to please - she had fallen into the lie herself. Even then, she'd eventually left, choosing to go to Beacon and become a huntress to do some good in the world. But she'd hurt Yang too, more than she'd ever intended to. She'd burned this bridge too, so much so that she had feared returning to Vale. She'd left Menagerie for Vale, to go back and try to put things right again. Or… to make herself useful in whatever way she could. But with Haven and another fall, it had all messed up again. Yang should hate her, she'd expected her to. Blake knows she'll never really forgive herself for the arm, and yet...

She sees now that Yang doesn't hate her, as much as she might grumble and threaten to leave. Maybe, neither of them is going to leave.

It had been a soft kiss, and still Yang looks completely stunned. Blinking back at her as her one hand reaches to her mouth, as if she cannot quite believe it.

Unsure of what else to say, Blake reaches out for Yang again, pulling the blonde into an embrace as she buries her face in Yang's neck. The warmth is enough reason to cling by itself, but … it just feels right somehow. Back at Beacon, she'd never really thought much about it. Sure, she'd liked Yang, but being with Yang hadn't really been a thought in her mind. Blake smiles, suddenly it seems like she'd missed something.

"Blake…" Yang tries meekly, voice little more than a whisper.

"It's okay, Yang." She tells her, pressing a second soft kiss to Yang's warm cheek. It's amusing, seeing her brash, confident former partner reduced to this. All from a gentle kiss. Yang's breath catches, and she smiles at it. Maybe, just maybe this was going to be good for both of them. She'd rather not talk, this was easier. Blake knows somehow that just kissing Yang instead of talking this to death, could prove difficult.

"But… but you liked Sun!" Yang splutters, confused by this. As if things had to be mutually exclusive, even if she had...once.

Blake shakes her head, laughing won't help matters now. "He's an annoying dork with no concept of privacy or personal space. It... it was never anything. Not really." Going to one dance together didn't have to mean that much.

Yang hesitates, squirming back slightly to escape. Her instinct is to hold on, but Blake loosens her arms, letting Yang go.

"Blake… but you're not…" Yang looks almost frightened now, violet eyes wide and head tilted to the side.

"Not what?" Blake repeats softly. "Not _gay_?" Is that what Yang is then, a lesbian? It wasn't… exactly expected. But the more Blake thought about it, rerunning old interactions through her mind, the less it surprised her.

When Yang shifts, and doesn't even mumble a reply, she continues.

"I don't have to be gay to care for you… I like you, Yang." Blake assures Yang. She certainly likes her more than Sun, and even Adam. After all, these things didn't have to be black and white. And the more she thought about it, the idea appeals. Why not Yang?

"You… like me?" Yang blinks at her in disbelief, letting her fingers run through dark hair. "Even now? I mean, I'm not… whole anymore."

"You're still you." Blake assures her. Her own grief will have to wait. And she pulls Yang into another kiss, this one slower, lingering. She knows what Yang's body is like, and she finds herself smiling into the next kiss, and the next. She doesn't have the words for Yang, not yet, but she can express herself like this. And Yang… Yang is soft, and warm.

She's not sure how long she spent kissing an increasingly receptive Yang. She plays softly with blonde hair as she kisses, lips moving slowly towards her former partner's ear. It's unsurprising that it turns her on, she figured it would, but with the next little moan, Yang _shifts_.

A tentative hand wanders towards her ears, Blake pulls it closer with her own. No sooner than has Yang's finger stroked the velvety edge of one of her cat ears, than is Blake suppressing the urge to purr.

Blake smothers a growl in her throat. She can smell Yang. It seems like too much, after all she'd only meant to kiss her, but she rolls Yang to her back, pushing her down as she clambers on top.

"Stop…" Yang shakes her head breathlessly. "Not… not like this. Not… now."

"OK." Blake responds, moving back and allowing Yang to creep back to her own bed, still panting. She hadn't expected to be told no, but she understands it. It's too soon. Or Yang isn't ready. Or she'd changed her mind in the year or so apart.

She's not even sure how either of them managed to fall asleep. She'd heard Yang breathing, clearly awake for ages, before finally falling asleep herself.

They're both awake at dawn, Yang instantly reaching for her prosthetic, clicking it into place with the connector before testing the fingers, like she does this every morning.

"Hi." Yang says in a small voice as she looks over

"Morning." Blake answers, "so… dressed and out for supplies?"

"Yeah. We should. You need to get stuff." Yang pauses, "I need to restock."

"Right." Blake nods, reaching for her discarded clothes before throwing her nightgown up over her head. She faces Yang, expecting her to do the same. To change quickly as per normal back at Beacon.

"Blake!" Yang exclaims.

"What?"

"Can you like... " Yang reaches for a moment, "turn around?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to change and don't really need an audience… especially after... " Yang blushes slightly, and it's… adorable.

"Well…" Blake deadpans, "it's not like I haven't seen it all before."

"Blake!"

"What? We shared a dorm. I could probably picture Weiss and Ruby naked, if I tried." Blake shrugs. It's not that she wants to, but a year of sharing a room together, and there's not really much caring after that. Or much left to the imagination. Yang and Ruby had never even been discreet when changing, just throwing off their clothes haphazardly, chattering all the while. It came from being sisters, who had already no doubt, been sharing a room for years. Weiss was at least modest, always turning her back, always ladylike.

"Please don't… Gods, don't talk about Ruby right now!" Yang squirms uncomfortably.

"Let's just… get this done." Blake shrugs it off. She can do it, kiss Yang, make out with Yang. But she's not ready to talk about it.

"What done?" Yang asks cautiously, as if implying an innuendo.

"The supply run." Blake replies flatly. Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe, she should just bail. After all, Yang didn't really need protecting, right?


End file.
